38-year-old homeless man found dead inside Elm Park abandoned house

Advance photo/Anthony DePrimoLuis Reyes, 38, was found dead, lying face down next to a mattress, by emergency workers at about 10:30 Sunday morning, inside a two-story home at 424 Morningstar Rd.STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- With temperatures dipping into the teens Saturday night and wind whipping in gusts over 40 mph, an abandoned house in Elm Park offered scant protection from the elements for a homeless man.

Luis Reyes, 38, was found dead, lying face down next to a mattress, by emergency workers at about 10:30 Sunday morning, inside a two-story home at 424 Morningstar Rd., according to police.

The exact cause of death remains under investigation with the city Medical Examiner’s Office, but what happened to Reyes — a man who some say might have been an out-of-work day laborer — points to the perils of trying to make it on the streets during this viciously cold streak.

In an effort to save people like Reyes, the Rev. Terry Troia, executive director of Project Hospitality, and other homeless service providers have been canvassing the streets on these recent bitter nights looking for homeless men and women in makeshift shelters or abandoned buildings, and trying to convince them to spend the night inside.

On Jan. 25 the city Department of Homeless Services will commission hundreds of volunteers citywide as part of its annual homeless count. Last year, on Staten Island, the count determined some 121 people were sleeping out in the winter cold.